Until today the usual methods of teeth whitening, were based on the use of various peroxides like hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide, which when combined with other inert raw materials give various types of products such as gels, solutions, films etc. These products are applied either directly on the teeth or by using special made cases in order to fit the teeth which will be whitened. The content of these products in peroxide varies on whether the whitening will be made by the dentist or at home by the patient after the dentist's directions. The whitening products which are made for use at home by the patient, contain less peroxide, in order to reduce the danger of burns and wounds on the gums in the event of improper use. Conversely, the products which will be used directly by the dentist, have high concentration of peroxides that can reach 40% by weight of the product. This increases the danger of gum wounds when using the teeth whitening material. In these cases the use of a material that will protect and isolate the patient's gums from the action of peroxides is needed.
The known materials which were used until today for the isolation and protection of the gums, although they offer protection, do not secure the patients health. Accidents often occur during the whitening or other dental procedure which make impractical to continue and sometimes the patient can be injured.
For example, the rubber gum isolators are unmanageable and do not secure the impermeability of the materials which will be used on the teeth, as they don't fit strictly on the gums. Besides, quite often they bother the patient either from false adjustment or by eventual heating when laser is used.
Moreover, there are various photopolymerized substratums which have their defects. Usually, these materials are hydrophobic, therefore in certain cases their capability to remain on the soft tissues is affected, while in others in order to increase their bonding capacity, additives which lead to intense polymerization are used, resulting in removal difficulty. The intense polymerization of these materials increases the temperature which in some cases is important as the polymerization reaction is exothermic. This results in the burning of patient's gums where the use of these materials has been made.
Finally, none of the materials for the isolation and protection of the gums, which were used until today, contain other substances for the protection of the gums which can prevent for example the peroxide teeth whitening material from burning and wounding the gums when not used properly.
This invention presents a photopolymerized material for the isolation of the gums which contains known anti-oxidant substances, that prevent the oxidative peroxides, the teeth whitening products contain, which can damage the gums. Therefore, when polymerized all these materials can congeal very quickly with the use of light radiant energy, making a durable substratum which can firm the gums and can be easily removed after the procedure has been concluded. On the other side it does not overheat during congealment, causing burning and pain to the patient's gums.